


Whereabouts

by Eruwryy (LaUsagi)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Eruri Week, M/M, more tags to be added later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-07
Updated: 2015-01-07
Packaged: 2018-03-06 11:42:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3133154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaUsagi/pseuds/Eruwryy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I wrote this fic is for eruri week day 7: future.</p><p>Five years after humanity's victory over the titans, Hange Zoe, current commander of the Survey Corps and Captain Eren Yeager are interviewed for a special issue of the Mitras Star.</p><p>All questions and comments from the interviewer are in italics and questions are preceded by a dash.</p><p>If you wonder why I use both Lance Corporal and Captain to refer to Levi, the way I understand it his official title is Lance Corporal, but the recruits working under him call him Captain.</p><p>also a big thank you to luciferswhiteloafers for editing this mess!!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Whereabouts

**Interview of Captain Eren Yeager of the Survey Corps, the titan shifter who had a primary role in humanity's victory over the titans.**

  _Captain Yeager was waiting for us in his office and received me warmly. He stood up to come and meet me with a smile. He’s a tall, fit fellow with brown hair and striking yellow eyes. After a vigorous handshake, we sat down for the interview. He looks a bit nervous, not used to talking directly to the media apparently, but otherwise happy to see me._

  _-Captain Yeager, thank you for having us here today. After a century of struggle and bloodshed, humanity celebrates the fifth anniversary of its victory over the titans. First of all, how do you feel?_

  _He does not seem to expect my question and sighs in relief._

 Oh wow, well… um, great! I never thought I would live to see this day come to be honest.

  _-Really? Rumors are your resolve is legendary._

Legendary is a big word for it. Stubborn probably fits me better. _He laughs._ Even though I was determined to live and see this war through and I had this special ability of mine, it's not like I thought I was invincible or anything like that. There have been a few times when I thought that, despite all of my efforts, I was going to die. It’s true that I never completely gave up all hope but in the end, I think I was also very lucky.

  _-I see. By special ability, you mean you changing into a titan? How has that been going? Most of us still remember spotting your titan form a few times during the rebuilding efforts._

 Oh, that. I remember us making a statement about it back then, but it was long ago I suppose. It went kind of like this: when the war ended, it was decided that my power shouldn't be used lightly. I can use it only if someone's life is in danger, or if an action that’s considered key cannot be done otherwise –like moving an incredibly heavy charge for instance. It did happen when we were helping to fix the main gate of Wall Maria or that time a tall building still in construction was coming down during a huge storm three years ago. I could name more examples, but you get the idea.

 - _So it almost never happens?_

That’s correct.

  _-And how does it feel to be humanity's hero?_

  _He looked a bit embarrassed, but I had a feeling it was not the first time he had heard the title._

 Oh no, I'm not anything like that. We were able to defeat the titans thanks to the efforts of everyone in the Survey Corps. We all followed Commander Smith, Commander Zoe and Captain Levi's lead because we thought they acted with humanity's best interests in mind. We went through all of this together. Lots of our people died too and these people must not be forgotten. And we got here to today thanks to everyone’s sacrifices and hard work, not because of only me.

  _-You’re too modest. How about you tell us about has your life been since the war ended? The general public thought the Survey Corps would disband, but your group seems to be more active than ever!_

 We've been, well, very busy actually. We had our own world to rebuild, and then a whole new one to explore, after all. We, and by that I mean the younger recruits of the Corps back then, had thought that once the titans all fell and Historia became queen, things would settle down, but the opposite happened actually. Every day we still train, help form the new recruits - our numbers have more than tripled- and explore the Outside with everything that implies, but now we also assist settlers, as well as escort those who have business out of the walls. We aren’t as edgy now than we were then, but we still have decades worth of work left to do before we’re done acting out the action plan her Majesty, along with the highest ranking members of the military, hatched for mankind.

  _-Interesting. On another topic now, our readers are very curious as to what happened to the former figureheads of the Survey Corps- former Commander Erwin Smith and his right hand Lance Corporal Levi. Do you know what happened to them?_

  _The Captain tensed as soon as I started saying their names. This was obviously a sensitive matter. He looked left and right, looking unsure of what he should say, but he was still smiling._

 The thing is, we’re not really allowed to talk about that. Sorry.

  _-“We’re”? You mean, no one in the Survey Corps is allowed to say where they currently are, or if they’re even alive?_

 That’s correct.

  _I felt as though this interview could have taken an ugly turn for me if I pressed this issue further, so I took a different approach on the subject._

  _-Then how about the last time you saw them? Surely that’s not forbidden._

  _I held my breath as the young man looked straight at me. He considered my question for a moment._

 I’m afraid I don’t remember. It was too long ago and it wasn’t anything important. Sorry I can’t be more helpful.

  _-Not at all. We are grateful you had me in the first place. Captain Yeager, thank you for your time._

 Of course.

_Captain Yeager walked me to the door and opened it to let me through. I was relieved it went well despite the fact that my work here was only halfway done. Indeed, a few minutes after I left the Captain’s office, I would had the privilege of interviewing none of other than Hange Zoe, current Commander of the Survey Corps._

He thinks about the lie he just told as he closes the door behind the journalist and sits back into his office chair. He does not like lying. Sometimes he has to. He understands that now. He could have been nice and told her everything he was technically allowed to say, but that meant risking the current way of life of his former superiors, as well as bringing unwanted attention to the Corps, and it was not a risk he could afford to take.

 He still remembers the last time he saw Erwin and Levi. It was a few years ago.  Months after the first civilians parties left Wall Maria to settle in what is called the Outside today. Announcements had been made months beforehand, asking people to volunteer to live outside the walls, with more than interesting incentives. Thousands of people responded.

This party was like any other, at first sight. A few hundred of people, some of them looking nervous, some eager to get a new start and some in between, along with their luggage, carts horses and carriages. They were lined up in one straight row, which was guarded by a soldiers on horseback, distributed evenly to the front, middle and back. Some people in the Corps had thought so much security was unnecessary, but back then no civilians had been outside the walls in over a century. Asking these people to trust their lives to the Survey Corps and Commander Smith, despite the evidence, was huge. The soldiers' presence helped the civilians feel safe as they walked out of the walls and into the unknown.

 Eren was assigned on escort duty that day, at the back of the row, to be precise. After a quick chat with Mikasa who was in the front, he had been riding his way to the back before the row started moving. When he was on escort duty, Eren always took the time to look at people when he rode by them. He liked giving them a reassuring smile when they noticed him, and making sure everyone was okay before they left. And that’s why he ended up seeing what he saw.

 That day, when he looked at the crowd from his left side, about 10 yards away, he saw a small person wearing a cloak making their way into a banged up carriage. The small man took of the hand of a much bigger man, who helped him into the vehicle. Eren couldn’t get a good look at the other man and only saw a peek of him from the side; a tall, blonde fellow. Maybe feeling he was being watched, the smaller man turned his head to Eren. The next moment, Levi was looking at him and Eren was just standing there on his horse, dumbfounded.  It didn’t make any sense for Captain Levi to be there at that time. As far as he knew, he was still at the barracks training new recruits, but Eren knew what he saw, even if he was wearing a hood. Eren tried waving at him, but the next instant the departure call was made. People started moving and the Levi disappeared into the carriage. Eren wanted to call out to himl, but a soldier called him back to his position so he had to go. During the whole trip, the image of Levi looking at him would not leave his mind. He wanted to doubt what he had seen, but he was just so certain, it was driving him crazy. When they arrived at the destination, he tried to find Levi and his companion right away, but the old carriage was empty. Soon the time came when Eren had to return to the city with the others, so he had to give up on his search, “only for now” he had thought back then.

It was only later that he learned that his Captain had indeed filed the required paperwork to retire from the military. And since they were close and disappeared around the same period of time, he assumed the blonde man was Erwin Smith, who had also quietly retired. They were told by Commander Zoe that their former superiors were fine, that it was better that way- that they weren’t the kind of men who enjoyed or needed goodbyes. They did however receive a letter from Commander Smith a few weeks later, thanking them for their sacrifices and wishing them the very best.

 Eren has not seen them ever since.

  **Interview with Hange Zoe, 14 th and current Commander of the Survey Corps.**

  _I felt a bit shaky as I knocked on the Commander’s door. I came in and took a look around. Bookshelves, almost filled to the brim, covered every wall of the office. I spotted Commander Zoe hard at work, writing on some parchment behind her big mahogany desk. She looked up, quickly greeted me and gestured for me to sit down in front of her and so I did. After about a minute, she put her quill back into its holder and clapped her hands as she sighed in relief._

  _She quickly explained she absolutely had to finish filling up some forms by today and that if she did not meet her deadline, her assistant was going to be very upset with her. I told her I completely understood and after moving a few papers out of the way so I could put my stationery down, we started the interview._

  _-Commander Zoe, thank you for taking some of your precious time to answer some questions today._

 It's my pleasure! We're all very busy here as you may have noticed, but it's for a special occasion after all!

  _-You do seem very busy. The titans are gone, yet your group has remained and has been particularly active in matters concerning the Outside. How would you say the Survey Corps has changed since the war ended?_

 Yes, the Survey Corps have changed their purpose in a way and also haven't.  After all we still do what we've always done – survey! Only now we have diversified our activities on the Outside and most of the titans are dead. It's a shame really. I mean, not that they're not eating humans anymore, of course, just them as subjects you know? Fascinating creatures. Fortunately the Outside has many fascinating creatures and phenomena of its own! Most of the animals we already knew of inside the walls, of course, - horses, bears, dogs, cats – but did you know there are still wild horses out there? That had never seen a human before us? Or that we discovered dozens of new living organisms humans had never seen before? There's also the ocean, which has enough mysteries in and of itself that it warrants its own research team. Every day is a busy day!

  _I politely asked Commander Zoe to be clearer as to what her faction is doing these days._

 Ah, but I disgress.

  _She looked thoughtful for a moment. There was a knock on the door. Commander Zoe told them to come in and a tall, brown haired man entered, carrying a tray on which sat a teapot, with matching saucers and cups and a small stack of letters, probably for the Commander. The man apologized for the intrusion, then served us tea, put the envelopes on the Commander’s desk, took a few sheets of parchment and left, looking pleased. I asked who the man was._

 Why, Captain Moblit, of course!

  _I wanted to ask more about this man, but after a sip of tea, Commander Zoe resumed the interview herself._

 You were correct when you said that our work focuses on everything concerning the outside world. This includes exploration, security, development and research. When the war ended and the world became free to explore and relatively safe for humans to live in, we worked with her Majesty and the other factions to assure that the activities on the Outside were organized properly. First, we sent scouting parties to locate abandoned villages, using old maps as well as intelligence we gathered over the years. It was Commander Smith's idea. Instead of focusing on building new towns and villages from the ground up, we would use the foundations left by our ancestors. Of course, most of it was completely unusable and had to be completely redone or brought down, but even then having a large, leveled territory with some kind of road system was already good enough for us to use as a base. Then we searched for areas that could be converted into bases or villages. We sent some groups who were tasked with creating more accurate maps of the area surrounding the walls and further away, all the way to the ocean. Well one of the oceans. We’re still unsure whether there’s only one or if we should divide it and give a different to each of the sections. Oh well, we’re not exactly there yet.

 The next step was sending the first groups of workers into the future construction sites, guarded and assisted by us, to build homes that would become the very villages some of your readers live in today. This work also includes us working on the walls and helping the towns inside the walls recover from the damage they suffered during the war. Then, since our operations were well under way and doing well, we shifted our focus to research. We also have tons of new recruits to train on top of everything. Saving humanity from certain doom certainly does wonder for recruiting! The rest is pretty much as you know it. People moved back into the towns of wall Maria and in the new villages and to this day we are still scouting, researching and fixing up this world, little by little, together with the Military Police and the Garrison, all under Queen Historia’s authority.

  _-That is very impressive. We certainly are grateful for all your hard work, Commander. Speaking of Commanders, during our interview with Captain Yeager, we asked about Commander Erwin Smith and Lance Corporal Levi, but we have no clues as to where their currents whereabouts are. It's as if they just vanished._

 Ah! I'm afraid I'm not allowed to say anything about that. Sorry!

  _As I thought. She seemed friendly, so I insisted._

  _-Are you sure you can't tell us anything? Our readers really are wondering why they would leave like that when there seems to be so much work left to do_ _._

_The commander's expression becomes grave. For an instant, I thought she would throw me out of her office._

 …I can assure you that former Commander Smith and Lance Corporal Levi did nothing but their very best to save humanity from the titans. For years, they fought and they managed to win the war, despite losing their comrades’ to our enemies, inside and outside the walls. And when they were assured that everything was under control and going well and only then, they passed the power on to me and the other captains and, following all the necessary procedures, they retired from the military. That's all there is to it.

  _The Commander remains calm. I feel she wants to tell me more, but she doesn’t. A few seconds passed in silence. To my surprise, she smiles._

 Is there anything else you wanted to ask me?

  _I’m taken aback by her calm composure and take a quick peak at my notes._

  _-No, I think that’s all. Commander Zoe, thank you for your time._

 My pleasure.

  _The Commander saw me out. She strikes me as a very smart and capable woman, even if she’s definitely extravagant, weird for some even. I end this day by going back to my office and write down this article for you, dear readers, while everything is still fresh in my mind._

 Hange sighs as she sits back in her chair and passes a hand through her bangs, suddenly feeling exhausted. She almost lost her calm there for a second. She was generally good at handling the press, but she can’t help but think she would never be as good as this thing like Erwin was. She sighs again as she takes the stack of envelopes Moblit brought her earlier and goes through her mail. Notice. Notice. Request. Request. She brightens up as she recognizes the seal on the last letter and opens it immediately, it reads:

 Dear Hange, how have you been?

 I apologize for the tardiness of my reply. I meant to write sooner, but we have been quite busy lately. Two days ago, there was a heavy storm around here, as you may have heard. When Levi came back from town the night before, he told me he thought his shop was safe, but as it turned out, water leaked from the roof and right into the backstore. And so, we had to plan for reparations, cleaning, as well as estimate the replacement costs for the merchandise. There is no use for tea leaves that have been soaked in cold rainwater, after all. Levi is pretty upset by the whole matter, of course. When I told Levi there was no use crying over spilled tea, he hit me on the arm, but I’m almost certain I saw the smallest smile on his face. Speaking of Levi, he says hello. He asked about how things were going back in the capital and how you were. When I told him he should try writing to you some time, he said he would think about it. Surprised? So am I. He has changed quite a bit since we left the military. He even has a few gray hairs. I get the impression they bother him, but I think he’s aging beautifully. We are both healthy and well otherwise. In case you were wondering, my garden made it through the storm unscathed, since I covered it with a tarp we secured with rope when I saw a storm was coming. I have good expectations for this year’s crops, they might even be better than last year’s if the weather permits it. I am impatient for the fall.  

 I know I am retired and the funds I received for my services is more than enough to live modestly here, but I think I might take on a new project. I have my books, my home and my garden. I also cook, clean, train and go on walks when Levi works during the day, but it’s not enough. There’s something missing. Levi tells me I'm an incurable workaholic and I think he might be right. I don’t think I will come back into the military however, but maybe I could still become a teacher. I don’t know if I have the right qualifications to be one, but if not I’ll probably consider taking a class. I think the possibility is exciting. I will keep you updated on the matter.

 You should come visit some time, when you are free. We could even have tea in the garden. Levi brews quite the lovely cup. Of course, I know better than everyone else the work charge that comes with being commander, even during this era of peace, so I would understand if you're too busy to come all the way here in the countryside.

Again, if you have any inquiries or situations you would like my input on, do not hesitate to write me. I will reply as quickly as possible.

Best wishes,

 Erwin Smith

 

**Author's Note:**

> And that’s it! Most of what’s in there aren’t exactly my headcanons for the end of snk, more like wishful thinking turned into a self-indulging AU where Erwin and Levi live quietly together after the war, in a small house in the countryside. Comments and kudos are always appreciated!


End file.
